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Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress: #AWP14 Archival Edition

by Erika Dreifus on
3

AWPI am not, alas, among the thousands of people journeying to Seattle today for the annual conference of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP). This year, the conference is too far away, too costly, and too heavy a tax on my vacation-day bank here at the day job to make the trip worthwhile.

That said, I’m an AWP veteran, having registered for and attended eight of its conferences since 2001. (Last year, I didn’t register, but made a quick trip to Boston on the conference’s last day to see friends and stroll through the Bookfair without having paid for registration on the conference’s last day.)

In this post, I’ll share some archival offerings describing them–and offer you an article from 2011 with advice for conference-goers (much of which remains useful!). (more…)

Monday Markets for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

Monday brings the weekly batch of no-fee competitions/contests, paying submission calls, and jobs for those of us who write (especially those of us who write fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction).

  • The March issue of “The Practicing Writer” will go out to subscribers at week’s end, and as usual, it will be filled with information on upcoming no-fee contests and paying calls for fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. If you’re not yet a subscriber (it’s free, and the subscriber list isn’t shared), now’s an especially good time to subscribe, since I’ve just updated the e-book of “eponymous contests” (also limited to fee-free opportunities) that is an exclusive subscriber benefit.

    • (more…)

    Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress: Is It Spring Yet?

    by Erika Dreifus on
    2

    Public Domain photo by Karen Arnold.
    Public domain photo by Karen Arnold.

    When will spring get here? It’s not just the icy temps and storms that are making me impatient. I’ve got a lot to look forward to this spring, including some bylines (which, again, I’ll tell you more about when you can read the accompanying texts for yourselves). Plus, I have some fun events scheduled. Over the past week, some exciting new details became available regarding one of them: a roundtable session on “After the MFA: Constructing and Leading a Writing Life” that I’ll be leading at Grub Street’s annual “The Muse and the Marketplace” conference in Boston in early May.

    I’ve certainly done my share of work providing information and resources for folks contemplating MFA programs (especially low-residency programs). But, especially as time continues to distance me from my own MFA graduation, I become more interested in what people do after the MFA. That’s why I proposed this session (official description follows):

    What happens after you earn an MFA? What might you “do” with the degree? How do you transition from the structure and community of a writing program to a full-fledged life as a writer? Panel members will share their diverse stories and impart “lessons learned” along the way. Past, present, and prospective MFA students are all invited to attend!

    I’m delighted to announce that we’ll have a range of perspectives on those questions provided in our roundtable, starting with offerings from my stellar co-participants: Matt Bell, Laura van den Berg, and Patricia Park. But, as Grub’s Artistic Director Chris Castellani has reminded me, this session will be even better and more instructive when the audience joins in.

    And as a way to help me–would you please share some questions and/or issues that YOU think should come up in a session like this? I look forward to and appreciate any comments!

    Wednesday’s WIP: Odds & Ends

    by Erika Dreifus on
    13

    Some nice developments in my writing life over the past week or so:

  • I’ve received two exciting book-reviewing assignments (I can’t talk about them in any detail yet–but I’ll let you know when I can!).
  • I’ve joined the roster of panelists who will be participating in The Whole Megillah Conference on Jewish Story in May.
  • I’ve submitted my first article invoice for 2014 (that article won’t be out for quite awhile, but again, I’ll let you know when it’s available).

    • Some not-so-nice developments:

  • Another contest loss and another litmag rejection.
  • Another article-pitch rejection from a publication that I’m beginning to think simply won’t ever publish me.
  • I’m still waiting on some freelance payments that should have reached me in 2013–but didn’t.

    • So that’s what’s “in-progress” with me. What about you?